How Did Asians Get A Bad Rep For Driving?

[rhagen]

yojitani, I disagree I have many black friends and when I go to their house for dinner. Their mom will always be cooking some kind of fried chicken, cornbread, waffles. I don't think it is false to say that they enjoy this kind of food. Yes, all races enjoy this food but from what I have experienced is that they prepare and eat this food much more often. My friend who is black always wants to eat at pop eyes, roscoes chicken and waffles.

I don't see the negative side to this stereotype either.

 

[Nuc]

You know I've actually never thought of any ethnic group as bad drivers. I've always looked at the morons who are actually driving. Women (particularly Indian women) in general seem to be worse because I've had more problems with them. However, when I get behind someone poking along I just assume it's an old fart...

My brother dated an asian and she was a great driver. When she got mad at him talk about one hell of a ride around the curves in mountains of NC. She always drove too fast.

Nuc

 

[yojitani]

yojitani, I disagree I have many black friends and when I go to their house for dinner. Their mom will always be cooking some kind of fried chicken, cornbread, waffles. I don't think it is false to say that they enjoy this kind of food. Yes, all races enjoy this food but from what I have experienced is that they prepare and eat this food much more often. My friend who is black always wants to eat at pop eyes, roscoes chicken and waffles.

I don't see the negative side to this stereotype either.

So what fits your experience is therefore true for an entire race? Lets see, what are they eating for dinner in Kenya right now...

- as for the penis thing, as far as I know that comes from the 'black man as sexual predator / sensual primitive' myth.

 

[MrSmith]

This is a "when did you stop beating your wife?" type question.Aside from anecdotal (hearsay) stories how about some studies to back up the assertion. I've lived in many places around the world and there's always these type of stereotypes,to me it's straight out racism. The differences in ability in all groups outweighs the differences between groups. Asians,Americans,Australians,people from Streatham are bad drivers,Please.

People from Streatham are too busy knifing each other. Seriously, though, surely a certain proportion of those of us who are living or have lived in an Asian country after growing up in a non-Asian country can be credited with enough intelligence to make an impartial comparison between the habits of one country and the other. You sound as though you aren't even prepared to give the idea a thought.

 

[nbs2]

The problem is compounded because everyone behind (at least on Asian roads) is too polite to toot their horn and teach the errant driver a lesson.

You, my friend, need to visit India. There the opposite happens. You hear the horn so much, that you begin to filter it out.

 

[MrSmith]

You, my friend, need to visit India. There the opposite happens. You hear the horn so much, that you begin to filter it out.

Never been. Somewhat like Italy, then?

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

I once rear ended an Asian woman (in a Wendy's drive-through line), only to later find at the accident scene she was an illegal immigrant. Heh.

 

[Vuzie]

Heh... I all this DWA (driving while asian). In grad school I noticed this at it's worst. It seemed all the chinese (no offense) grad students with bad habits were all teaching eachother how to drive. 95% of the time, if someone was driving atrociously bad you could just say, DWA and be correct. The other 5% is what we called DWO (driving while old, regardless of heritage).
And heck, being asian myself, I have my occasional DWA moments that make me mad at myself.

But these days, there are bad drivers everywhere. Idiots all around....

 

[BigPrince]

Not sure if this is mentioned, but that kid from Indiana Jone was a good Asian driver.

 

[devilot]

I sort of wonder, for the folks claiming that "almost all" the bad drivers they see are Asian, if you live in areas where there aren't many Asians. 'Round here, there is easily between 30-40% of the population (especially the age groups that would be more likely to drive) that are Asians. As such, with more Asians, I find that I'm more likely to see some that are NOT such awful drivers. Wondering if the demographics do make a difference...

 

[Gymnut]

I would have to guess some bad taxi drivers who are of asian ancestry would contribute to that stereotype. I recall seeing a short skit on Mind of Mencia where Carlos was run over by a radio controlled car driven by an asian man. Well, his foot was run over and the car kept crashing into him. Being 1/2 Japanese and 1/2 Filipino, I thought it was pretty funny.

 

[aloofman]

My experience is that, yes, if the person learned to drive in an Asian country, they're more likely to make reckless, selfish driving moves here. Basically, they assume that everyone will get out of their way because that's the way it works in China or India. Not so with Asian-Americans who learned to drive here.

 

[dontwalkhand]

The entire state of Arizona has a bad rep for driving

 

[neutrino23]

Having traveled around Asia I'd say it is probably people who have recently immigrated from Korea or China that generate this idea. Not to knock them but it seems that the unwritten rules of the road are different there. Here when you enter a road you wait for a gap in the traffic. The drivers on the main road have right of way. There it seems that the car entering the traffic flow has right of way. Regardless of the traffic coming they just charge in. Kind of scary but if everyone is expecting this it's OK. There are probably some other similar right of way assumptions that are just different between the two regions.

Japan has a different ethic. There following the rules is very important. I've been at intersections where two taxis are stopped, each driver cheerfully waving to the other to go first. It is also common to see pedestrians waiting for a green signal to cross a road even when there are no cars anywhere around.

So I don't think that Asians are particularly bad drivers, just that in some areas the standard way of driving is quite different from here so that when a driver taught to drive by those rules comes here then there is a clash.

 

[iJohnHenry]

So I don't think that Asians are particularly bad drivers, just that in some areas the standard way of driving is quite different from here, so that when a driver taught to drive by those rules comes here then there is a clash.

A much more reasonable resurrection of this thread.

 

[renewed]

It's funny because I read a lot of posts stating that Asians are aggressive drivers. I see the opposite of them and a few other drivers. I see them as too cautious. They drive slow and don't pay attention. They get all the way to the left and piddle paddle.

On a related note, something that has been bugging the hell out of me lately is people entering onto the freeway doing 30mph. Gun the sucker and get up to speed (65-70) before you hit the freeway. This is why people almost get rear ended is because they slowly enter the onramp and get in the way of everyone else.

*I hate slow drivers if you can't tell *

 

[agkm800]

What bugs me more is whenever I see old ladies very slow to pay the cashier at the supermarket. They often just stand there and act surprised when the cashier is done ringing all the items. Then, it takes them forever to locate their money. Why can't they get their wallet or checkbook ready WHILE the cashier is ringing?!!!

 

[acurafan]

asians ARE the worstest drivers...i can't stand their left lane driving and no parallel parking skills, braking in the middle of a turn, signal right, turns left. i have seen turtles go faster then asian women.

there i got that out of my chest...

 

[iJohnHenry]

Why can't they get their wallet or checkbook ready WHILE the cashier is ringing?!!!

Perhaps you will die young, and not have to suffer the indignity of this spectacle??

 

[RWil85]

What bugs me more is whenever I see old ladies very slow to pay the cashier at the supermarket. They often just stand there and act surprised when the cashier is done ringing all the items. Then, it takes them forever to locate their money. Why can't they get their wallet or checkbook ready WHILE the cashier is ringing?!!!

this post's relevance to the thread topic is in question.

 

[iJohnHenry]

This post's relevance to the thread topic is in question.

Not by sentient beings it's not.

 

[Sun Baked]

It was all a plot/campaign by the Middle Eastern cab drivers to stop people from talking about their bad driving.

 

[sammich]

Sorry.

Actually, I'm an awesome driver, and the Asian bad driver stereotype has been fading away. I'll see the odd slow driver and the guy who parks like crap, but the non asian population talking on their cell phones and not paying attention to the lane changes near my place.

I spy on every driver as I drive past them to mentally note their demographic for later prejudice

 

[RWil85]

Not by sentient beings it's not.

is you callin' me ignorant?

haha

 

[Melrose]

Asians are awesome drivers. Has nobody seen Tokyo Drift?